Top-ranked UConn can all but wrap up the Big East regular-season title on Tuesday night with a win at No. 15 Creighton, but the Bluejays are more than capable of knocking off the defending national champions and only short underdogs on the NCAAB odds. 2024 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis #1 UConn vs #15 Creighton | MyBookie Sportsbook Week 16 NCAAB
How to Bet UConn at Creighton NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info
When: Tuesday, 8:30 PM ET
Where: CHI Health Center
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports Live
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: UConn -3 (total 145)
#1 UConn vs #15 Creighton First Meeting
On Jan. 17, UConn beat visiting Creighton 62-48 when the Huskies were ranked No. 1 and Bluejays No. 18. Tristen Newton scored 16 points and the Huskies used a stifling defense to prevail. Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban each had 13 points, with all of Karaban’s scoring coming in the second half. UConn dominated down low, outscoring Creighton 36-20 in the paint and outrebounding the Bluejays 48-32.
“We couldn’t keep them off the glass and if you let this team get on the glass and when you turn it over, a live-ball turnover, they’re going to score,” said Creighton coach Greg McDermott. “They’re just elite at that.” Steven Ashworth led Creighton with 14 points. Baylor Scheierman, who came into the game averaging 18 points a game, added 12 and Ryan Kalkbrenner had 11 points, but took just five shots. Creighton sill leads the all-time series 6-2.
Why Bet on UConn Huskies?
UConn made history on Saturday in trashing No. 4 Marquette 81-53; the 28-point margin of victory was the largest in an AP Top-5 conference matchup in poll history. The Huskies now lead the second-place Golden Eagles in the Big East by three games in the loss column with five to play. UConn led by 16 points after a strong defensive first half and 18 after a putback by Tristen Newton to open the second half. They took a 21-point lead at 51-30 after an offensive rebound by Newton, who fed Donovan Clingan for an emphatic dunk through the lane. UConn built its lead to as many as 29 points in the second half.
UConn Last 5
| vs Marquette – W81-53 |
| @ DePaul – W101-65 |
| @ Georgetown – W89-64 |
| vs Butler – W71-62 |
| @ St. John’s – W77-64 |
“You play elite offense, you play elite defense and you’re a great rebounding team and you play harder than the opponent, it doesn’t give them a lot of places to go,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
The Huskies got contributions all over in the dominant showing, led by a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double from Clingan, while Newton stuffed the stat sheet and flirted with a triple-double in a 15-point, 8-rebound, 8-assist performance. Hassan Diarra went for 14 points, six assists and five rebounds off the bench and Cam Spencer was the fourth Husky in double-figures with 14 points along with six rebounds.
UConn shot 46.0 percent (29-63) from the floor and 36.7 percent (11-30) from 3-point range, while holding Marquette to 36.8 percent (21-57) and 21.7 percent (5-23). The Huskies dominated on the glass, out-rebounding MU 45-27. Connecticut turned 18 offensive rebounds into a 21-4 edge in second chance points.
The Huskies are undefeated when at full strength. Stellar freshman Stephon Castle missed a four-point loss at Big 12 powerhouse Kansas on Dec. 1. In a Dec. 20 loss at Seton Hall, star center Donovan Clingan only played 15 minutes due to a foot injury. UConn hasn’t just won a nation-leading 14 straight games, it has done so in emphatic fashion. Those 14 wins have come by an average of 16.8 points, and five of them were without the dominant Clingan.
UConn is now the first team in Big East history to win three-straight conference games by at least 25 points. Connecticut’s 14-game conference winning streak ties the longest in a single season in league history, matching streaks from 1995-96 UConn and 1984-85 St. John’s. UConn is now 6-5 all-time in top-five games and 50-9 when playing as No. 1.
On Monday, the Huskies were named the unanimous AP No. 1 team for the first time in school history and the first unanimous choice all season. The Huskies remained atop the poll for the sixth consecutive week and are riding the second-longest streak at No. 1 in school history behind a 10-week stay during the 1998-99 season, when the team coached by Jim Calhoun and led by Richard Hamilton and Khalid El-Amin beat Duke for the national championship.
| Week 16 NCAAB Lines Odds Subject to Change | SPREAD | MONEYLINE | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| #15 Creighton | +3 | TBA | U 145 |
| #1 UConn | -3 | TBA | O 145 |
Why Bet on Creighton Bluejays?
Creighton (19-7, 10-5 Big East) won its third game in a row Saturday, 79-57 at Butler. After trailing by eight midway through the first half, Creighton cut its deficit to 35-34 at halftime. Creighton’s offense, which entered 20th in the nation in field-goal percentage, overwhelmed Butler after the break. The Bluejays scored on 12 of their first 19 second-half possessions and went ahead 62-46 on Baylor Scheierman’s basket in the lane with 10:38 left. Despite two starters playing all 40 minutes and only a single reserve playing more than two minutes, Creighton scored 22 fast-break points. Butler had two.
Creighton Last 5
| @ Butler – W79-57 |
| vs Georgetown – W94-72 |
| @ Xavier – W78-71 |
| @ Providence – L91-87 |
| vs Butler – L99-98 |
“Creighton did a phenomenal job defensively,” Butler coach Thad Matta said. “We lost our defensive focus. They got hot. They got rolling on us.”
Scheierman led Creighton with 27 points and added 10 rebounds for his sixth consecutive double-double. Scheierman had his sixth straight game of 10 or more rebounds, extending CU’s longest streak since Benoit Benjamin had 28 straight in 1985. The six straight double-doubles are CU’s longest streak since 1985. It’s tied for the nation’s third-longest active streak. Scheierman’s 12 double-doubles lead the Big East Scheuermann’s and are tied for Creighton’s third-most since 1987-88, trailing only Bob Harstad (1988-89) and Scheierman himself (2022-23), who both had 13.
Scheierman was joined in double-figures by Ryan Kalkbrenner (21), Trey Alexander (15) and Steven Ashworth (12). Ashworth also dished eight assists and grabbed five rebounds. Kalkbrenner surpassed 1,600 career points, while Ashworth moved past 1,300 career points and Alexander eclipsed the 1,200 career point mark.
The Bluejays boast one of the most potent trios in the country in Scheierman (18.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.0 apg), Alexander (17.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.7 apg) and Kalkbrenner (17.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 64.1 FG%). Per Kenpom, CU is top-25 in the country in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
Greg McDermott passed Rick Pitino for ninth in Big East history with 119 regular-season league wins. Creighton has clinched a .500 record or better in league play for the ninth straight season, and 28th time in the past 29 years.
Creighton is 169-70 all-time as a ranked team, including a 135-58 figure under McDermott. Creighton has been ranked at least one week in 10 of McDermott’s 14 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
#1 UConn vs #15 Creighton Expert Prediction
Creighton 73, UConn 71
NCAA Basketball Odds to Win Championship – Top 10
| UConn Huskies +490 | Purdue Boilermakers +710 |
| Houston Cougars +910 | Arizona Wildcats +1175 |
| Tennessee Volunteers +1250 | North Carolina Tar Heels +1775 |
| Auburn Tigers +1850 | Alabama Crimson Tide +2000 |
| Kansas Jayhawks +2200 | Iowa State Cyclones +2300 |
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#18 Creighton vs #1 UConn, January 17, 2024
For the first time this century, UConn will take the court on Wednesday as the No. 1 team in men’s basketball as the defending national champions host No. 18 Creighton in Big East action with the Huskies favored on the NCAAB odds. 2024 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis #18 Creighton vs #1 UConn | MyBookie Sportsbook Week 11 NCAAB
How to Bet Creighton at UConn NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info
When: Wednesday, 7 PM ET
Where: Gampel Pavilion
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports Live
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: UConn -6.5 (total 145)
Series History
Creighton is 6-1 all-time against UConn, with the seven meetings taking place in four different cities since 2020. All seven games have been decided by single-digits, and by a total of just 31 points. The average margin of 4.43 points per meeting is Creighton’s closest with any other Big East foe since joining the league in 2013. Creighton is 2-1 in road games against UConn, going 1-1 at Gampel Pavilion and 1-0 at XL Center. Bluejays coach Greg McDermott is 6-1 against Connecticut.
Why Bet on Creighton Bluejays?
The Bluejays (13-4) come off their fourth straight win, 66-65 at home over St. John’s on Saturday. Creighton’s Trey Alexander sank a pair of free-throws with 12.3 seconds on the clock to put the Bluejays ahead by one. On the Red Storm’s final possession, Daniss Jenkins’ jumper from the paint rimmed out before Jordan Dingle grabbed the offensive rebound and got off another shot attempt that was off the mark at the buzzer. There were seven ties and 18 lead changes overall.
Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner led all scorers with 18 points, adding nine rebounds and four blocked shots. Kalkbrenner moved into 14th place on Creighton’s all-time scoring list with 1,438 points, one more than Eddie Cole (1951-55), and moved into 10th in CU history with 702 rebounds in his career. Baylor Scheierman delivered his fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Steven Ashworth also finished in double-digits with 11 points. Creighton had just seven turnovers against SJU’s pressure defense.
Creighton won despite not making a three-point shot in the second half. Its last win decided by one point was an 83-82 victory vs. Marquette on Feb. 20, 2022. The Bluejays are 9-0 this year when scoring 11 or more second chance points.
CU lost its first two Big East games this season by a combined seven points but have reeled off four straight wins by an average of 13.3 points since then. The nucleus of the team is formed by three returning starters in the senior forward Baylor Scheierman (18.0, 8.3 rpg., 3.9 apg), senior center Kalkbrenner (15.9 ppg., 7.4 rpg., 2.5 bpg., 64.1 FG%), and junior guard Alexander (16.3 ppg., 6.1 rpg., 4.5 apg.).
The Bluejays boast an offense that shoots 49.0 percent from the floor and 36.0 percent from three-point land while draining 10.4 three-pointers per contest (11th-best nationally), which contributes to CU’s 79.9 points per game. The Jays also outrebound foes by 7.8 caroms per contest. CU’s defense has held teams to 65.6 points per game and allowed opponents to make just 91 three-pointers all year. Creighton’s 10.8 fouls per game are the fewest in the nation.
A win here would give Creighton its first men’s basketball victory ever (in six tries) over the No. 1 team in the AP poll and would improve the Bluejays to 2-11 all-time against defending national champions. Creighton has beaten at least one Top 10 team in eight straight seasons and is 36-61 all-time under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams, 29 more victories than any other coach in CU history.
Why Bet on UConn Huskies?
While UConn won the 2023 NCAA Tournament, it hadn’t been No. 1 in the AP poll since March 2, 2009, until Monday when the Huskies jumped to the top spot. This week is the 30th week in program history that UConn sits atop the national polls. The Huskies have played 50 total games as the No. 1 team in America, compiling a 41-9 record in those contests. It is the first No. 1 ranking of the Dan Hurley era. This is the seventh season in which Connecticut has ascended to No. 1 and the 10th different time it has made its way to the top spot.
The Huskies (15-2) won their fifth game in a row Sunday, 80-76, against Georgetown despite again playing without injured star 7-foot center Donovan Clingan – a sure-fire 2024 NBA first-round draft pick. He injured his foot Dec. 20 at Seton Hall and is getting close to a return. Clingan is averaging 13.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks this season.
“Donovan kind of returned to practice here recently,” Hurley said over the weekend. “He’s upping what he’s doing. He could be entering that dreaded game-time decision point soon.”
Alex Karaban tied his career with 26 points in the win, knocking down 6-of-8 from 3-point range in the win over the Hoyas. Since Clingan has been out of the UConn lineup, Karaban has gone to a whole new level. In the Huskies’ last four games, Karaban has averaged 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shot an amazing .659 overall, and a remarkable .667 from three-point range.
Cam Spencer added 20 and also was extremely efficient from deep with a 5-of-7 effort. Stephon Castle was the third Husky in double-figures with 14 while Tristen Newton stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds. As a team the Huskies held Georgetown to 34.0 percent shooting for the game, including a 29.2 percent mark in the first half. After a Hoya basket to open the game, the Huskies would go on to lead the rest of the contest. UConn tied its season-high with 13 made 3-pointers in the win and dished out 18 assists on 24 field goals.
UConn is 11-0 when holding an opponent under 40 percent shooting this season and 5-1 in Big East play for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Huskies have been led this season by their high-powered offense, currently ranking in the top-15 in the nation in field goal percentage, scoring margin and assists per game. Spencer currently leads the Huskies in scoring with 15.8 points per game and is the top 3-point shooter in the Big East at 46.8 percent, good for eighth nationally. He is followed closely in the scoring column by Karaban at 15.4 points per game.
“Connecticut, to me, is the best team in the country,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said. “They’ve got a lot of weapons, they have a lot of answers. When they go small with Karaban at the five they’re a really, really tough match-up. They can extend the floor, they move the ball, they have a purpose, they have physicality, they have athleticism. They’re one of the elite teams in college basketball.”
#18 Creighton vs #1 UConn Expert Prediction
UConn 73, Creighton 69
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